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Dragons: The Nine Realms - Downpour (S2E4)
Tom and Thunder train a new species of aggressive tidal dragons to help the other riders put out a forest fire threatening ICARIS.
| Runtime (min) | 23 |
|---|---|
| TMDB Rating | 9.0 (2 votes) |
| Air Date | 2022-05-05 |
| Genres | Animation, Action & Adventure |
| TV Rating | TV-Y7-FV |
| Network(s) | Hulu, Peacock |
Storyline
When a forest fire breaks out near ICARIS, Tom and Thunder face the urgent challenge of containing the blaze before it reaches the research station. The fire threatens not only the facility but also the delicate balance of the Hidden World ecosystem. Tom realizes that conventional methods won't be enough to stop the rapidly spreading flames, prompting him to seek an unconventional solution from the dragon realm.
The episode centers on Tom and Thunder's efforts to train a newly discovered species of tidal dragons known for their aggressive temperament and water-based abilities. These dragons prove difficult to work with, testing Tom's patience and dragon-training skills. With time running out and the fire advancing, Tom must find a way to earn the tidal dragons' trust and coordinate them with the other Dragon Riders. The team works together to deploy the dragons' water abilities strategically, turning the aggressive creatures into allies in their race against the encroaching wildfire.
What kids learn
Children learn valuable lessons about adaptability and creative problem-solving when facing urgent crises. Tom's willingness to seek help from an unexpected source—the aggressive tidal dragons—demonstrates that solutions sometimes come from unlikely places. The episode shows that preconceived notions about others, whether they seem too difficult or too different, shouldn't prevent us from recognizing their potential value in a crisis.
The story also teaches persistence in the face of frustration. Training the aggressive tidal dragons requires Tom to remain calm and patient even when the creatures resist cooperation. Young viewers see that earning trust takes time and effort, especially with those who have reasons to be wary or defensive. Tom's refusal to give up on the tidal dragons, despite their challenging behavior, models determination and respect for creatures that behave differently than expected.
Additionally, the episode reinforces the importance of teamwork during emergencies. The Dragon Riders must coordinate their efforts and trust each other's abilities to deploy the tidal dragons effectively against the fire. Children observe how clear communication and mutual support enable the team to accomplish what no individual could achieve alone, especially under pressure.
Parents' top 5 questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How intense is the forest fire scene for younger viewers? | The forest fire creates urgency and tension but is presented within the show's typical adventure framework. The flames are animated rather than realistic, and the focus remains on the team's problem-solving efforts rather than dwelling on destruction or danger. The episode maintains an action-adventure tone throughout, with the fire serving as a challenge to overcome rather than a source of graphic peril. Most children familiar with the series should handle the scenario comfortably. |
| Are the aggressive tidal dragons portrayed as villains? | The tidal dragons are not villains but rather misunderstood creatures with defensive behaviors. The episode frames their aggression as a natural response rather than malicious intent, teaching children that difficult behavior often has underlying reasons. Tom's approach emphasizes understanding and patience rather than domination or force. By the end, the dragons become helpers rather than threats, reinforcing that cooperation is possible even with those who initially seem hostile or unmanageable. |
| What does this episode teach about environmental responsibility? | The episode presents the forest fire as a serious threat to both the research station and the natural ecosystem, emphasizing the importance of protecting habitats. Tom and the riders work to save not just human structures but also the dragons' environment, showing interconnectedness between human activity and nature. The use of dragons' natural abilities to combat the fire demonstrates working with nature rather than against it. Children see that environmental crises require immediate action and creative solutions. |
| Does Tom succeed in training the tidal dragons quickly, or does it take effort? | Tom faces genuine difficulty training the tidal dragons, and the episode doesn't present an unrealistically easy resolution. His initial attempts meet with resistance, showing children that some challenges require sustained effort and multiple approaches. The training process involves setbacks and frustration, making Tom's eventual success feel earned rather than automatic. This realistic portrayal helps children understand that working with difficult personalities or situations demands patience and perseverance beyond a single attempt. |
| How do the other Dragon Riders contribute to solving the crisis? | The other riders play essential supporting roles in coordinating the firefighting effort once the tidal dragons are ready to help. They work together to direct the dragons strategically and manage different aspects of containing the blaze. The episode emphasizes that Tom's training efforts alone wouldn't succeed without the team's collective coordination and execution. This reinforces that leadership and specialized skills must combine with teamwork to handle large-scale emergencies effectively. |
Writing
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Directing
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| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Moving to an exotic new home, an adventurous teenager meets a new group of kids and discovers a dragon in the fissure. |
| 1 | 2 | Tom forges a friendship with the dragon and discovers an entire world of dragons within the fissure. |
| 1 | 3 | Tom and Jun encounter unexpected dangers and are separated while exploring the Hidden Realm of dragons. Tom introduces Jun to the dragon world, and Jun bonds with a dragon of her own – Wu and Wei. |
| 1 | 4 | Tom and Jun take a risk in revealing the secret of the Hidden Realm to D’Angelo to aid an injured dragon, and D’Angelo bonds with Plowhorn. |
| 1 | 5 | Tom and the others debate how to keep the dragons a secret, even as a rambunctious young “cloaking” dragon gets loose in town and pursues a friendship with a Alex. |
| 1 | 6 | Tom and the Riders try to save ICARIS when it's revealed to be in danger from a monstrous dragon. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Jun breaks the rules by sneaking a small, adorable dragon out of the Crystal Realm and bringing it home, but finds that her older brother, Eugene, has arrived and watches her every move. |
| 2 | 2 | Tom has to keep his mom, Olivia, distracted while Jun, Alex, and D’Angelo use a new dragon to close off a cave leading to the Crystal Realm, and prevent her from discovering the dragons. |
| 2 | 3 | When Feather is taken by a group of what appear to be zombie dragons, Alex finds her inner hero and rescues her friend. |
| 2 | 4 | Tom and Thunder train a new species of aggressive tidal dragons to help the other riders put out a forest fire threatening ICARIS. |
| 2 | 5 | Tom and D’Angelo must come together to help Alex and Jun escape the clutches of the Spiderwings. |
| 2 | 6 | Tom and the riders go in search of Thunder and must face a gauntlet of dangerous dragons to find their lost friend. Along the way, Tom reveals his big secret to D’Angelo and Alex. |
| 2 | 7 | Tom and the riders help Thunder, who is seeking revenge against the dragons that chased off his family. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | Tom hatches an unorthodox plan to use a Monstrous Nightmare to test Alex's new fire suit, endangering the secret of dragons. |
| 3 | 2 | After a fight with her mom, Jun joins Tom on an adventure into the Fire Realm, where her knowledge of myths saves the day. |
| 3 | 3 | When a tiny Fireworm dragon ends up at ICARIS, Alex must decide between her mom's excitement and keeping the dragon secret. |
| 3 | 4 | During an attempt to get displaced Fire Gronckles back to their native realm, D'Angelo accidentally feeds them Catastrophic Quaken eggs. |
| 3 | 5 | Eugene discovers the Lair and demands a dragon of his own. |
| 3 | 6 | The dragon riders must sneak a very sick Magma Breather into the ICARIS infirmary. |
| 3 | 7 | The Sky Torcher and Flame Throwers invade the Crystal Realm; Tom must conquer his demons and bond with the Fault Ripper to defeat the Sky Torcher. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | Tom and the riders discover the Ice Realm and find Buzzsaw inside. |
| 4 | 2 | Alex and Eugene find themselves at odds with Tom and their fellow dragon riders when Feathers and Webmaster go missing during a blizzard in the Ice Realm. |
| 4 | 3 | Jun struggles to convince Tom to trust her faith in myths over the Book of Dragons when they venture to a place that his book seems to say is extremely dangerous. |
| 4 | 4 | Tom’s leadership abilities come into question by Eugene when his decisions lead to failure while attempting to confront Buzzsaw. |
| 4 | 5 | Tom and Thunder discover a baby Nightlight and must bring him back to Thunder’s home realm. |
| 4 | 6 | When Thunder’s clan of fellow Nightlights is attacked by the Snow Wraith, Tom vows to rescue them. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | While punished, Tom must sneak out to rescue the Riders from Buzzsaw. |
| 5 | 2 | Tom orchestrates a “safe” tour of the realms to convince Olivia that the Hidden World is safe for them to explore. |
| 5 | 3 | A mischievous new breed of dragons called Vine Tails steal the Book of Dragons. |
| 5 | 4 | Tom and the riders must work together to rescue Eugene from a dragon’s nest. |
| 5 | 5 | Tom must rescue Olivia from the Hidden World when she winds up getting herself frozen by a pack of hungry Speed Stingers. |
| 5 | 6 | When a deep freeze puts the lives of everyone in Rakke Town in jeopardy, the riders must attempt to use the dragons to get the humans through the night without being seen. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | Tom struggles under the pressure of being the new ‘Dragon Whisperer’ for Rakke Town; Thunder rises to the occasion to help him. |
| 6 | 2 | When the parents leave for the night and tell the riders not to bring the dragons to the surface while they’re gone, D’Angelo and Eugene get locked in the hangar (with the dragons!) after Eugene triggers a security lockdown. |
| 6 | 3 | Jun forms an unlikely connection with Sledkin. |
| 6 | 4 | Eugene’s bond with Webmaster is put to the test when Webmaster leaves the group for a pack of Deathgrippers. |
| 6 | 5 | Tom sets out to prove Sledkin caused an explosion that injured a dragon in the Hidden World. |
| 6 | 6 | When the dragons fall victim to Buzzsaw’s poison darts, D struggles to keep a cool head and find a cure while others panic. |
| 6 | 7 | Tom and the riders “borrow” the bathysphere to rescue a dragon from the depths of the Giant Realm Sea. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | When Phil threatens to shut down D’Angelo’s new dragon hospital and ban dragons from ICARIS, D’Angelo and a little Hobgobbler have to change his mind. |
| 7 | 2 | While Tom struggles with admitting his feelings for Jun, the pair find themselves trapped inside a giant tree with an anxious colony of Woodchipper dragons. |
| 7 | 3 | Thunder must wrangle and lead the Hero Dragons in a desperate attempt to save Tom and the riders from a dangerous new dragon, The Glass Caster. |
| 7 | 4 | When Jun does a Tarot reading for the team, she interprets its meaning to be that the riders will disband! In an effort to defy this fate, Jun forces the group to stick together as they search for a dragon that has breached the Rakke Town eel barrier. |
| 7 | 5 | With the dragon riders disbanded, Eugene attempts to start his own Dragon Club. |
| 7 | 6 | When Thunder accidentally fries Alex’s tablet, Alex goes off on her own and is captured by Buzzsaw. |
| 7 | 7 | Tom and the riders must finally overcome their differences and come together as a team to survive the Dark Realm. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 | Tom attempts to defeat the World Serpent by emulating Hiccup. |
| 8 | 2 | Tom and the dragon riders foster displaced Hidden Realm dragons in Rakke Town but things get complicated when Mr. Rakke makes a surprise visit. |
| 8 | 3 | The Dragon riders enlist the aid of Carla and Hazel and their scientific knowledge to help them prepare for a mission to neutralize Jörmungandr so they can return him to his chamber and seal him back inside. |
| 8 | 4 | Tom and the riders must rescue Plowhorn from Sledkin when the villain abducts the dragon to help her find the Gods Realm and the Dragonsite jewel. |
| 8 | 5 | Tom’s overconfidence turns to frustration then despair as he struggles to procure the ingredients for Gronckle Iron in hopes of building a trap to stop the World Serpent. |
| 8 | 6 | After a major miscalculation by Tom in 225 leaves the fate of the Realms in jeopardy, Jun and the riders rally behind Tom and Thunder to face off against the World Serpent. |
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